AMBROSE'S POV
How can she do that? How can she dance and party with that Council's head's son? Does she not feel anything between us anymore?
"What are you scowling about? You have been like this since you came after meeting Logan. Did something happen there?" George asked me, and I nodded.
"She was there. Valerie was there with Logan, partying hard," I scowled.
"And? Is she not supposed to enjoy her life? What do you expect her to do? You have been ignoring all her calls and not even replying to her texts. Do you expect her to mourn and stay locked up in her apartment? Stop acting like a jerk," George was brutally honest to my face, and I didn't like any bit of it.
"Do you think I am ignoring her for real? We just completed our gruesome research on those rogues of the West. How much time did we have to contact our loved ones? Did you contact anyone? Besides, the last time she saw me killing those rogues, she was traumatized. Do you want her to look at me like I am some rogue-hating and killing machine when she is a rogue herself?" I couldn't believe he was blaming me for it too.
He is supposed to understand me since he was with me all the time, aware of all the situations.
"Well, for me, I am not actively pursuing anyone. I believe all your reasons but think from her perspective too. You tell a girl you want her to shift to your pack, she rejects it, you say it's okay, and then you ghost her. What is she supposed to think of that? Logan is a good guy. He cares about her more than a mate, and I am sure he will keep her happy," George said, and I snarled at him.
"Do you need a beating?" I gritted my teeth.
"Of course not, Ambrose. However, you need to realize that Valerie is an amazing girl, and she won't wait for you for eternity. She is not your mate, Ambrose," George's words were like a slap to my face that put me into harsh reality.
"That girl has all the right to pursue other men if someone turns out to be a jerk. You just proved her right. All alphas came to teach her a lesson in her life. Don't be one of them. If you really like her, then step up your game, or I won't be surprised if you get a wedding card with her and Logan's name on it,"
My heart skipped a beat at what George said, and I hate to admit that it affected me.
No. I can't let that happen. I will have to talk to Valerie and explain everything to her.
Next evening ~~~~~
"Tell Jacob to come and meet me as soon as he returns from his mission. I want to discuss a few things personally," I looked at the elder.
Though I was the alpha of the pack and handled the majority of the work, since the pack didn’t have a Luna yet, the team of elders who were there at the time of my mom and dad looked over the pack’s internal affairs.
"But alpha, when a spy returns from the mission, according to protocols, the team is the first one to enquire about him, and it's our duty to tell you the details," The elder said, and I looked at him coldly.
Haven’t these elders been a bit too wishful these days? No wonder George told me to be wary of them.
With a smile, I walked to the other side of the table where the elder was sitting and leaned my body beside him, threateningly.
"And I don't remember the time when I followed those protocols. Are you going against your Alpha's words? Have you gotten tired of living?" I looked at him, showing him my Alpha eyes, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, making me nod.
"I am sorry, alpha. I will inform the spy team of the changes," The elder stuttered.
"That's what I thought," I turned and was about to sit back in my chair when the office door opened, and George walked in with a smile.
"Oh, you are here? I thought you would be with -" George stopped and looked at the elder.
"Are you done? I have something important to discuss," George said, and I quirked my brows, curious.
"What is this all about?" I sat in my chair leisurely.
"Nothing. I just didn't know you hadn't gone,"
"Where exactly should I be?" I asked, massaging my head.
I have been working nonstop for the whole day just to stop my head from thinking about a particular girl who has been on my mind and heart for some time and was making things harder than before.
"With Valerie. She went to the carnival with her friends. Oh wait, of course, you didn’t go. The plan with her friends was canceled, and I think she went with Logan. From what I heard, she really wanted to go to the carnival since it was the last day today. Huh... I can't understand why she is not dating Logan already when he spoils her so much. He makes her forget about things and people…" George dragged out dramatically, and I clenched my fists.
"From what I see, you don't have anything better to do. Where do you get this gossip about her anyway? Are you spying on her?" I rolled my eyes, bouncing my legs under the table, feeling anxious for some unknown reason.
What if Logan steps up his game and proposes to her? Will Valerie say yes? Logan indeed treats her better than I do, no?
He had mentioned something like this before, and I was confident that Valerie would be mine, but the recent events made me think about everything again.
I was hoping to go tomorrow and explain myself to her. Though her decision not to join the pack affected me, it wasn't everything.
"Your cafeteria. That's how I gained this information," George sighed and grabbed a few files before walking out of the office.
"Damn it!" I grabbed my car keys before rushing out of the office.
As I passed the hall, my gaze met with George's amused ones, and I gritted my teeth before shaking my head.
I am sure he did this deliberately, and as much as I hate that he has gotten an upper hand and something on me, I just can't get angry at him.
"Since you were so interested in making me enjoy the night, I hope you are ready to complete the remaining paperwork," I nodded at George, leaving him wide-eyed, and I rushed out before he could say anything.
'What do you think about it? Do you really think Valerie is the kind of girl who would go to another man so easily just because you ignored her for some time?' Cyrus asked, and I sighed.
"It's not her who I suspect. I suspect that man, and in fact, every man around her. She has this zeal that attracts you to her. I don't blame any man who wants to be with her, but I can't allow it either,’
‘Damn it! Why is Logan always around her?" I honked angrily.
'He is there around her to protect her from the heartbreak and jerks like you who play with her heart, leave her and then act like they are her biggest fan. No matter what your reasons are, you are at fault here. Did you get busy? What about a text? Weren't you replying to those alphas just fine?' Cyrus asked, and I furrowed my brows.
"Seriously, Cyrus? Are you going to play at this? You, out of all people, know what kind of work I was stuck with. How can you say things like these?" I sighed.
I guess Cyrus has started liking Valerie. It makes me strangely happy.
'I am not going against you, Ambrose. However, you should know that Valerie isn't your mate and isn't the everyday girl you will meet at any pub. If you really want to keep her by your side, you have to work hard for it,' Cyrus paused, and before I could add anything, he started speaking again.
'I know you have never worked hard for any girl, but if Valerie is just any girl, you wouldn't have been attracted to her, right? If you aren't mad enough for her to keep thinking about a girl like her, you don't deserve her. A guy like Logan deserves her,' Cyrus's words jerked me back to my current situation, and I clenched my fists around the steering wheel.
Everything he said was true. He was being brutally honest with me. I have been running away from my feelings for so long that I don't even realize what she has become for me.
Cyrus was right about everything except one thing. He said I am not mad about Valerie. How can he say that when he knows how hard it was for me? Every moment away from her was like another hell.
I was using the fact that she won't join my pack as a shield to stay away from her.
The moment my body touched hers when she was dancing in the club, I felt so alive. It took every ounce of patience inside me to not pick her bridal style and book a room to talk sweet nothing with her, share everything that happened in these three days, and tell her how hard it was to stay away from her.
Her smile, her glares when she saw me in the club, her uneasiness, and how easily her body molded in mine when she leaned into me, everything wanted me to pull her further into me.
I want her to be a part of me in a way that even I am afraid of.
Exiting the car, I looked at all the werewolves in line for entry.
"Let me through," I said in my cold voice, and I know I should be ashamed of using my alpha voice for a thing as petty as buying a ticket to enter sooner, but when it comes to Valerie, it's like I lose all my senses.
Entering the carnival, I looked around hastily, relying on my wolf to pick her unique scent among all the werewolves and humans.
As I rushed amidst the crowd like a madman looking for his lost lover, I finally found her standing in the line, waiting for her turn on the Ferris wheel with Logan and thinking about all the possibilities of things that can happen when two people are alone in one cubicle. My heart skipped a beat.
The Ferris wheel stopped, and people started filling in.
'From what I can see, Logan is quite excited about this Ferris wheel. I wonder what he is thinking about,’ Cyrus's words were enough to bring me out of the daze, and I rushed to the line, doing something I never thought I would do like this.
However, when it comes to Valeria, I don't think I am rational anymore, and thus, I lost control.